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SCGSSM Expands International Research with Support from Force Protection Industries, Inc.

Submitted by: Lindsay Szeszycki on Feb 17, 2011 at 2:01 pm Tagged with: Education, Force Protection, International Research, SC GSSM Source: South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics

The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), in collaboration with Force Protection Industries, Inc., of Ladson, South Carolina, is broadening its Research Exchange Scholars Program (RESP) by expanding into England in the summer of 2011.

Thanks to a $20,000 investment, three students from GSSM’s residential program will be selected to spend seven weeks conducting real-world scientific research alongside skilled mentors at a British University. England will be the second international research location for GSSM.

For the past two years, the Governor’s School has partnered with a high school and a university in Germany thanks to investments made by Roche Carolina, Roche Mannheim and Greenville Hospital System. During their internships abroad, GSSM students conducted college-level research in the areas of applied microbiology, botany and cyto- and neurophysiology at Universitat Karlsruhe and the German Cancer Research Center.

“The SC Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics provides unique experiences for our future leaders in innovation and research and development. Force Protection is proud to partner with the Governor’s School to provide this important opportunity to students in both South Carolina and the United Kingdom,” said Tommy Pruitt, senior communications director for Force Protection.

While studying abroad students gain an education in the culture and philosophy of international science and its global practices along with an enhanced understanding of the language and lifestyle of their host country. The early introduction of lab research experiences provides an unmatched opportunity to build research skills, exchange ideas and techniques in scientific discovery and explore international communication and understanding for future foreign cooperation.

“As we expand our global presence to include operations in the United Kingdom, we see this effort as a natural extension of the important work we do as a company in research and development to provide survivability solutions around the world. We look forward to learning more about the experiences of those students selected for this program as they complete their research,” added Pruitt.

RESP was founded in 2009 as a way to build on GSSM’s capstone initiative, the Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI), and move into the arena of international research for GSSM students. Each summer, three students are selected to conduct their research internship at a lab abroad. In exchange, the international partner sends three students to South Carolina where they reside on the GSSM campus and conduct research at the University of South Carolina. Students from both GSSM and the partner organization also spend class time at each other’s home schools. All students complete both written and oral presentations based on their research.

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About GSSM
The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) is a two-year, public, residential high school in Hartsville, S.C., specializing in the advanced study of science and mathematics. GSSM serves 128 high school juniors and seniors a year with a concentrated study of science and math, alongside rigorous courses in the humanities, to prepare graduates to excel as leaders in the state’s 21st-century economy. In addition, GSSM reaches nearly 24,000 students and teachers across the state through several educational outreach programs. Newsweek and The Washington Post have ranked GSSM among the Top 20 “public elite” high schools in the country.

For more information on the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics, contact Lindsay Burke Szeszycki at 803.252.9152 or lindsay@scgssm.org.